Guided by the Stars

We were fortunate enough that the following night’s sky was clear enough to set sail again. There was little danger on Kamateia, but the bleak cast-iron surface was wearying the crew. Our navigator captain indicated that we should follow the light of Procyon and Regulus next and thus we set sail.

Days passed by and although we came upon rainy weather a number of times, we were spared any storms. In the late afternoon of the sixth day of the voyage, something curious came to pass. It had been a grey day of constant drizzle that somehow seems to soak you more than any downpour could. The sound of the sea rippling against the bow of our ship was joined by a steady increase of voices heard from across the water. As they became louder, it became clear that some of these voices seemed to be weeping, some whispering frantically and others roaring their lungs out. Before we knew it a swirling ball of water appeared that seemed to carry the voices. It travelled too quickly for us to discern anything within the watery sphere and passed our fleet before we knew it. Even though the voices had talked in different tempos and at different volumes, they had been been clear enough for the crew to hear parts of it. I’ve attempted to piece together what was heard:

Bones forgotten move in the cold current,
Icy claws scrape at hulls above,
The drowned queen seeks the thief,
And will turn the waves crimson.

Our navigator captain has asked me to keep this hidden from the rest of the crew. I will do so, but fear that they will piece together enough themselves to incite worry.

We were awoken from an uneasy sleep by calls that land had been sighted. Warm sunlight bathed the deck and had started evaporating yesterday’s rain of some of our worries. The island we reached was recognised as Archimetron, an island known for its luscious plant life. It was hard to decide who would keep manning the ships, as all seemed to want to go ashore to feel soft soil under their feet again. In the end, it was decided that the crew would take turns so that all could spend some time on the island. The first scouting party found that there seemed to be no obvious danger. They had found some marble statues overgrown with mosses and plants, however, which suggested that people had inhabited Archimetron at some time in the past. Of these previous inhabitants there was no trace, however.

The crew were divided into parties to replenish our supplies and set up camp. Days passed as we leisured on the shore and stocked up our ships. The captains had to temper the enthusiasm of some who were already making preparations for building more permanent shelters, for Archimetron seemed to many an excellent new home. Indeed, voices started to be raised for a general meeting to decide whether this island should become our new home.

At the same time it became apparent that none of the marble statues on the island was of the same size, but they all seemed to depict the same androgynous person. The smallest statue that was found was but a few centimetres high, whereas others were many meters tall. All were facing the South West, except for the largest of them. Of this one only the head and shoulders stuck out of the ground and it faced in the opposite direction. It puzzled us, but except for the scholars among us, it was forgotten next to the more tangible issue of whether to stay on Archimetron permanently.

Not many mornings after there was unrest in the camp. It appeared that some of the crew members had dreamt of the enormous head and that it had spoken to them. Initially the captains put this down as the fisherman’s yarn so often heard from sailors. It then came to light that they had all heard the same words spoken:

The sea will not carry,
Soil will not suffer,
Death escaped, never outrun,
The sleeper of the depths has awoken.

The doubts of the last of the sceptics were taken away, when foragers found that the mouth of the enormous head had opened. There appeared to be a chamber inside, but none had dared to go inside. It took the captains some time to assemble a party to investigate. They returned before long, clearly shaken by what they had found. Not much later it was announced that preparations should be made to set sail again the following morning. By now, all seemed eager to leave the island. The night before our departure passed quietly and no more eerie dreams were had. We set sail early in the morning towards our next destination.

After some prodding and trading a week’s worth of wine rations, I managed to get one of the crew members that had investigated the head to tell me what they had found. Apparently, they had barely been able to enter the chamber. Shortly after the entrance any further access was obstructed by a wall of human bones that extended to both sides and all the way to the top of the chamber.